Plum Pretty beautiful in Cotillion Stakes

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Bensalem, PA (Sports Network) - Plum Pretty, winner of the Kentucky Oaks, led every step of the way Saturday in winning the $750,000 Cotillion Stakes for three-year-old fillies at Parx Racing in suburban Philadelphia.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Plum Pretty broke sharply in the 1 1/16-mile race with Rafael Bejarano in the saddle. Pressing the pace was Love and Pride with 6-5 favorite It's Tricky running third in the six-horse field.

Around the final turn Plum Pretty, It's Tricky and Love and Pride separated themselves from the rest of the field. At the top of the stretch it was Plum Pretty, the 3-2 second choice, leading the way with It's Tricky in second.

Down the stretch Plum Pretty easily opened up from the favorite and proceeded to register a 7 1/2-length victory. It's Tricky was more than four-lengths in front of 72-1 longshot Daring Reality at the wire followed by Buster's Ready, Love and Pride and Halo Dolly.

Plum Pretty stopped the timer at 1:41.19 to establish a new stakes record on a fast track.

Owned by Peachtree Stable, Plum Pretty earned $430,500 with the win to go past the $1 million mark for her career. She has four wins in nine starts for $1.296,700. This year the filly has won three of eight races for $1,273,900.

After winning her only start as a two-year-old Plum Pretty posted a third in both the Santa Ynez and Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita Park early this year. She then won the Sunland Park Oaks as the 1-20 favorite just prior to capturing the Kentucky Oaks in May.

Owned by Peachtree Stable, the filly was second in the Hollywood Oaks and runner-up at Saratoga in the Coaching Club American Oaks. In her last start Plum Pretty was a well beaten fourth to Royal Delta in Saratoga's Alabama Stakes.